10 more witnesses turn hostile in bus burning case

By D. Sivarajan

HOSUR, NOV. 6. Ten of the 11 witnesses, cross-examined in the Chief judicial magistrate's court in Krishnagiri, in the Dharmapuri bus burning case turned hostile today.

The witnesses included three Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) drivers and those either working in or owning establishments near the spot of occurrence at Ilakiyampatti. All 11 witnesses examined on Monday also turned hostile.

Of the three drivers cross-examined today, Saleem Basha of the Coimbatore-Hosur bus, which was damaged by miscreants at Erapatti, 5 km from Ilakiyampatti, on February 2, 2000, claimed that as the passengers insisted on being dropped at Dharmapuri, the bus moved further but it had to be stopped once again near the Collectorate as a road blockade was under way.

However, the driver, who had reportedly told the Special Investigation Team of the CB-CID that he would be able to identify those involved in the incident, claimed that he was not familiar with what happened and hence would not be able to identify the persons.

In a similar fashion, Kamaraj, driver of a town bus going to Mittareddihalli from Dharmapuri, which was also damaged, near the Patchaiamman temple, feigned ignorance of the incident and went back on his statement made to the CB-CID that he would be able to identify those involved.

But another driver Viswanathan, whose bus was also damaged near the Old Housing Board on Dharmapuri-Salem Road, confined to the statement he had made to the CB-CID that he would not be able to identify those involved.

Defence lawyers also intervened and ensured from the drivers that the buses had not been damaged at Ilakiyampatti, where the TNAU bus with women students were set ablaze. Three of them were charred to death.

Two other witnesses, who confessed to the CB-CID that they dropped two of the accused, on their two-wheeler, at the spot of the road blockade at Ilakiyampatti, also refuted having done so and said they knew nothing about the incident. Similarly, another witness, Mani, who told the CB-CID that AIADMK men who had resorted to the blockade stayed on his farm after the incident, also turned hostile.

At one stage, Mr. Meenakshi Sundaram, CJM, got annoyed with the accused walking in and out of the court hall and instructed the defence lawyers to ensure that the proceedings were not disturbed. The case was adjourned for further hearing on November 19.

TNAU students to be examined

The TNAU students who are the main eye- witnesses to the whole episode are scheduled to be examined from November 19 to 22. The CJM also asked the CB-CID to submit the photographs and video coverage of the incident that day.

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